


Freshmen

by CongressIsAliens



Series: The Rando Bando September Saga [5]
Category: Marching Band/Colorguard/Drumline
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Crushes, F/M, Front Ensemble, High School, Homework, Marching Band, Mutual Pining, rehearsal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 00:49:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16052030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CongressIsAliens/pseuds/CongressIsAliens
Summary: "I totally ship them. Like, I really ship them. They would be so cute together.""Remind me again of the rules of shipping?"1 event.4 perspectives.





	Freshmen

**Author's Note:**

> For timeline context, Elaine and Alexander are 8th graders, Levi and Kaitlyn are freshmen. Don't worry, timeline will be a seperate post on its own on the last day of September.

**Elaine**

It was 4:15, with band starting at 5. It was a beautiful Wednesday, and Alexander and I were sitting doing our homework on a bench outside the high school after walking over from the middle school. I had my social studies notebook out, writing a summary for my notes I had taken in class. ALeander was working on his algebra homework. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, with just a few puffy, beautiful clouds, and a few of the other band kids had walked by on their way to the local convenience store, stopping to chat a bit. 

"What's the sentence requirement for these summaries again?"

"I think it's like 5 maybe? Or maybe that's the science summaries."

"Eh, I'll just fill the space." 

"Good idea."

"Hey, Kaitlyn! How are you?"

"I'm good! How are you doing?"

"Pretty well, you?"

"I'm doing great! Whatcha guys working on?"

"Homework." "Homework"

"JINX!" "JINX!"

"Hey, let me move my binder and you can sit with us."

"Cool. Actually, I'm going to get my bio homework to do with you guys. It's due Friday, but might as well get it done." 

Kaitlyn leaves her messenger bag by the bench and goes inside, presumably to her locker. We continue our work, and not even a minute passes, before Levi walks by. 

"Hello."

"Hey! Your name is Levi, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Sorry, I don't really have much reason to interact with the pit a lot."

"It's OK. Hey, who's bag is that?"

Alexander cuts in.

"It's Kaitlyn's. She just went inside to get her biology homework, she's coming right back."

"Oh! I should have known."

Levi blushes. Alexander and I look at each other, eyebrows raised.

"See you later?"

"See ya later!"

Levi turns, takes one step, and crashes into Kaitlyn, who is carrying her textbook and a notebook. Both of them stumble back and turn a fairly brilliant shade of scarlet.

"Hey, didn't think I'd run into you here!"

If it's possible for Kaitlyn to get redder, she does. 

Cue the raised eyebrows. 

"I didn't either! Just came out here, and  _bam!_ there you were!"

Awkward laughing. 

"See you soon, I guess?"

"Yup!"

Levi walks back into the building. I turn to Kaitlyn and say,

"What was all that about?"

"What was all what about?"

"You are blushing like a 6th grader with a crush. Wait, oh my god,  _do_ you have a crush on him?"

"maybe..."

"Tell him!"

"no."

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Kaitlyn totally has a crush on Levi and I think she should totally tell him."

"Why?"

"Because, my dear Kaitlyn, he has a crush on you too."

"How can you tell?"

"I just can. Shipper's instinct."

"Sigh."

20 minutes pass, and suddenly it's 4:40 and Kaitlyn is getting up and getting ready to go back in, saying that the pit has a meeting at 4:45. 

As soon as she leaves, I turn to Alexander and say,

"I totally ship them. Like, I really ship them. They would be so cute together."

"Remind me again of the rules of shipping?"

 

**Levi**

A nice sunny Wednesday. Walking back from the pizza place near the school, where I had hung out with Jonathan, Paul, and Christopher (who had all gone home, they weren't marching people), I walked down the path away from the construction at the front of the school, and to the lower hall doors, passing the bench where 2 of the eighth graders that year, Eliane and Alexander, were sitting. 

"Hello."

"Hey! Your name is Levi, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Sorry, I don't really have much reason to interact with the pit a lot."

"It's OK. Hey, who's bag is that?"

Alexander interjects.

"It's Kaitlyn's. She just went inside to get her biology homework, she's coming right back."

Oh great. Kaitlyn, my crush since forever. (Actually, since 8th grade.) Just my luck. 

"Oh! I should have known." 

I can feel my face heating up. Elaine and Alexander share a glance before I speak up again.

"See you later?"

"See ya later!"

I turn, and just as I see where I'm going, Kaitlyn crashes into me. 

I'm mortified.

_C’mon, Levi, make a joke! She likes your jokes!_

“Hey, I didn’t think I’d run into you here!”

"I didn't either! Just came out here, and bam! there you were!"

I laugh. 

"See you soon, I guess?"

"Yup!"

I continue back on the path, walking back into the school. The instant the door shuts behind me, I lean my head against the grey-ish lockers and sigh. She must just think of me as a friend.

I’m wasting my time. Maybe I should date that girl from World History that talks to me sometimes. 

On second thought, maybe not.

** Alexander **

It’s a great day for marching band.

For algebra? Not so much. Which is why I do it before practice, sitting with Elaine, who’s doing social studies.

“What's the sentence requirement for these summaries again?"

"I think it's like 5 maybe? Or maybe that's the science summaries."

"Eh, I'll just fill the space."

"Good idea."

Kaitlyn walks over to talk to us. She’s a really nice girl, and even though I don’t hang around the pit much, Elaine and I talk with her a bunch. She’s really sweet. 

"Hey, Kaitlyn! How are you?"

"I'm good! How are you doing?"

"Pretty well, you?"

"I'm doing great! Whatcha guys working on?"

"Homework." "Homework"

"JINX!" "JINX!"

"Hey, let me move my binder and you can sit with us."

"Cool. Actually, I'm going to get my bio homework to do with you guys. It's due Friday, but might as well get it done."

Kaitlyn leaves, with her bag next to the bench for the moment. Then, Levi walls by. 

”Hello."

"Hey! Your name is Levi, right?" 

"Yeah..."

"Sorry, I don't really have much reason to interact with the pit a lot."

"It's OK. Hey, who's bag is that?"

I cut in.

"It's Kaitlyn's. She just went inside to get her biology homework, she's coming right back."

"Oh! I should have known."

Levi blushes. Elaine and I look at each other, eyebrows raised. Why is he blushing? It’s just Kaitlyn’s.

"See you later?"

"See ya later!"

Levi then turns and walks straight into Kaitlyn. Both of them are the color of strawberry jam.

”Hey, didn't think I'd run into you here!"

Ugh. Are they _flirting?_

Cue the raised eyebrows.

"I didn't either! Just came out here, and bam! there you were!"

Awkward laughing. Great.

"See you soon, I guess?"

"Yup!"

Levi walks back into the building. Elaine turn to Kaitlyn and say,

"What was all that about?"

"What was all what about?"

"You are blushing like a 6th grader with a crush. Wait, oh my god, do you have a crush on him?"

"maybe..."

"Tell him!"

"no."

They’re speaking jibberish. 

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Kaitlyn totally has a crush on Levi and I think she should totally tell him."

I’m just confused by now. 

"Why?"

"Because, my dear Kaitlyn, he has a crush on you too."

"How can you tell?"

"I just can. Shipper's instinct."

"Sigh."

20 minutes pass, and suddenly it's 4:40 and Kaitlyn is getting up and getting ready to go back in, saying that the pit has a meeting at 4:45.

As soon as she leaves, Elaine turns to me and says,

"I totally ship them. Like, I really ship them. They would be so cute together."

Again with the jibberish.

"Remind me again of the rules of shipping?"

** Kaitlyn **

Before marching band, I’m walking out the lower hall doors when I see Elaine and Alexander sitting and doing their homework. So, what better to do then pester them?

 “Hey, Kaitlyn! How are you?"

"I'm good! How are you doing?"

"Pretty well, you?"

"I'm doing great! Whatcha guys working on?"

"Homework." "Homework"

"JINX!" "JINX!"

"Hey, let me move my binder and you can sit with us."

"Cool. Actually, I'm going to get my bio homework to do with you guys. It's due Friday, but might as well get it done."

I drop my bag, a sleek black messenger bag, and go inside to my locker in the band area. As I open it, I think about this year. Actually, mostly the fact that nobody, _nobody_  has commented on my lisp. Every year, without fail, sombody has made fun of it. Other kids, the  bus driver, my brother, even my teachers and the principal.

(Case in point: Kindergarten. I read aloud for a bit, and my lisp is painfully obvious. The next day, and every day after that, I’m sent to speech class, all alone, to work on my s’s. I never got to do reading-aloud for the rest of the year, or silent reading for the years after that. Only s’s-not-th’s class. I failed miserably. It sucked.)

Except this year. Nobody has said anything. 

I grab the book and notebook and close my locker. 

I still, of course, have that lisp. In case you can’t tell, I’m a bit self-conscious about it. 

I push open the door to outside, lost in thought. 

Of course, my crush probably thinks my lisp is lame. Even though he’s never said anything about it, the way he just...looks at me is odd. He probably thinks I’m retarde-

Shit. He’s just been talking to my friends, probably about me. And I just crashed into him. 

I didn’t want a boyfriend anyway.

“Hey, didn't think I'd run into you here!"

That’s Levi Jones. Witty, smart, talented, cute, and lisp-free. 

"I didn't either! Just came out here, and bam! there you were!"

I did not just say that. But i have to laugh a bit. 

"See you soon, I guess?"

"Yup!"

Only after he leaves do I realize he probably hates me now. He’s semi-popular, so the news of how I ran into him and completely made a fool of myself will run through the band room like wildfire.

“What was all that about?"

"What was all what about?"

"You are blushing like a 6th grader with a crush. Wait, oh my god, do you have a crush on him?"

Shit, she knows? I guess I was pretty obvious. 

"maybe..."

"Tell him!"

"no."

Abso-fucking-lutely not. I’m not stupid. 

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Kaitlyn totally has a crush on Levi and I think she should totally tell him."

Why would I ruin our semi-friendship like this?

"Why?"

"Because, my dear Kaitlyn, he has a crush on you too."

"How can you tell?"

"I just can. Shipper's instinct."

(What?)

"Sigh."

I start work on my project. Then, 20 minutes and several failed conversations abandoned in favor of doing homework later, I have to go in for a pit meeting. 

And face Levi. Wonderful. He’ll probably be embarrassed to even see me. 

As I walk in, I hear the last strains of conversations from those two.

“I totally ship them. Like, I really ship them. They would be so cute together."

"Remind me again of the rules of shipping?"

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> We played September so many times at the football game today...


End file.
